Collapsible combination bench and table



Aug. 4, 1959 A. 1.. AUSTIN COLLAPSIBLE COMBINATION BENCH AND TABLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec 6, 1955 R 0 T N E Abraham L. Austin ATTORNEY A. L. AUSTIN COLLAPSIBLE COMBINATION BENCH AND TABLE Aug. 4, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 6, 1955 22 v Figure 5 INVE/V TOR" Abraham L. Ausl/n in a. Z/

. AT TOR/VEY: 7

Unitcd States Patent COLLAPSIBLE COMBINATION BENCH AND TABLE Abraham L. Austin, Hinsdale, m. v

I Application December 6, 1955, Serial No. 551,335 9 Claims. (Cl. 155-45) M This invention relates to improvements in the combination bench and table described and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 495,263, filed March 18, 1955, said improvements concerningcertain structural modifications in both the seat-supporting and back elements of said bench which enable the several component parts to be folded together into a compact unit occupying less space and which in combination provide a unit in one package which is more readily transported by an individual user than the predecessor combination benchv and table.

;As will be evident from a comparison of the combination bench and table of the above-indicated prior application with the collapsible model thereof which is the principal embodiment providedin this invention, the two units are similar in outward appearance, being generally intended for outdoor picnic or park use,'although the size and purpose may vary from a relatively elongated adult-use size intended 'to seat several persons to a shorter size intended to seat a single individual or a generally smaller size intended for a childs use. The unit herein referred to as a bench or as a device when considered from the standpoint of its mechanical aspects serves as a bench when the several structural portions of the unit are in one position and as a table when, the back of the bench is swung upwardly into a horizontal position. The basic shape and structure of the bench and table comprising the predecessor device, however, remains essentially the samewhether in the form of a .table or in the formof a' bench, except that the character vof the device changes when the table top is rotated from its horizontal position into a substantially vertical ,position and when the device is moved from one spot to another, the unit is moved as a whole without altering the supporting sub-structure. The present invention vpro- ,vides certain improvements in the predecessor unit which enables the device to be folded into a condensed structure occupying a greatly reducedspace, particularly in its depth. In one of its embodiments it may be, so constructed as to be less in depth when in its collapsed form than the space between the 'back of the front seat 2,897,876 Patented Aug. 4, 1959 a pair of spaced end members each having a rearwardly extending projection comprising the rear leg support for the bench, a substantially horizontal upper terminus of said end-member to which a seat connecting the end members is attached, an upright pivotably attached below said seat to said end member, said upright terminating in a horizontaltop edge, a back resting on the forward edge of said upright and rotatable into a horizontal position resting on said top edge of the upright, a bar attached transversely to the rearward side of said back, horizontal and spaced parallel hearings in said bar and in said upright and a linkage rotatably connecting the bearing in said upright with the bearing in said bar, a forwardly projecting front leg pivotably attached to said end member below said seat, the upper end of said front leg slidably engaging the forward edge of said upright and capable of being rotated to a position in which its longi- .;tudinal center-line is approximately parallel to the longitudinal center-line of the end member when the upper end of said upright is moved toward the center-line of said end member.

, 'The device of this invention comprising a combination bench and table is further described with reference to the accompanying diagram, Figure 1 of which is an endview of the device as a table. Figure 2 -is an end-view of the device in the initial stages of folding it into its collapsed form suitable for transporting the same. Figure 3 illustrates an end view of the device in its completely collapsed form. Figure 4 is a front view of the device in the form of a bench as shown in Figure 1 from sectional line 44; that is, with the back raised to its horizontal position as a table top. Figure 5 is a view from ,section line 5-5 of Figure 3, showing a front view of the device in its completely collapsed form. Figure 6 a is across-sectional view of the sliding contiguous surfaces of the upper end of the front leg and the forward edge of the upright in slidable contact therewith. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the bearing rotatably attaching one of the brackets or truss bars supporting the seat to the tie rod between the end members, as viewed from section line 77. Figure 8 is an exploded, perspective view of the bearing shown in Figure 7.

Referring toFigure 1 which illustrates an end view .of the present device in its alternative form as a picnic table, the device comprises a pair of end members 1 each having a rearwardly projecting extension 2 which acts as the rear supporting leg, and a forwardly project; ing upper extension 3 which terminates as a substantially horizontal upper surface and which supports a seat 4 connecting the pair of end members. Seat 4 may be sloped slightly downward toward the rear to provide greater comfort for a person seated in the device, either in the form of a table or as a bench. Pivotably attached to said'end member 1 bymeans of a bearing 5 preferably positioned beneath seat 4 is a fore leg 6 and a pivotably mounted upright 7 rotatably attached below seat 4 to end member 1 by means of bearing 8. The upper end of said upright terminates in a horizontal top surface which supports rotatable back 9 in a substantially horizontal plane when the back is rotated to this position VfOII ltS use as the top of a picnic table. p

Rotation of back 9 is provided for by a combination of specialrlinkage and hinging elementscomprisingl a bar or link 10 having spaced bearings ll and l l at ea h of it swhi ot t a u eq ll P Q d; 05i,-

, 3 zontal and parallel pins in the upper end of upright 7 and in an angle iron 13 or other rigid flattening piece fastened transversely to the back 9. The length of the bar or link 10 and thus, the distance between bearings 11 and 12 in each end of the link 10, is sufficient to permit the table top to be rotated clockwise from its horizontal position on top of the uprights to a more-orless vertical position in front of the leading edge of the uprights as the back of the bench.

The iron 13 generally is an L-shaped angle iron which serves not only to maintain the back 9 in a flattened condition but one arm of the L-beam also rests on the horizontal top edge of the upright with the downwardly projecting flange or arm of the L-beam fitting against the side of the upright, thereby giving the bench greater rigidity and strength. In addition to its function as a support for the back .piece and adding structural rigidity to the device as a whole, the flange of the L-beam, also provides a seat for bearing 11, further described in my aforesaid application Serial No. 495,263.

A tie beam 14 is generally attached to the back side of the upright, usually at the uppermost end thereof to provide additional rigidity to the device. In order to fasten table top 9 in place and prevent it from being accidentally moved forward during use of the device as a table and the possible disturbance of items on the tabletop, a hook 15 fastened to beam 14 and hooking into screw-eye 16 may be provided for fixing the horizontal position of the table top during use of the device. A tie rod 17 rotatably fastened by means of screws 18 and 19 into the left and right end members, respectively, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, may be provided to add to the strength and structural rigidity of the device and for the further purpose of supporting the lower ends of the truss bars bearing upwardly on the bottom side of the seat, as described below.

In order to prevent sagging of seat 4 during use, particularly when more than one individual is seated thereon, and particularly also when the device is of relatively great length, a left truss bar or bracket 20 rotatably mounted near the left end of tie rod 17 by means of bearing 21 and a right truss bar or bracket 22 rotatably mounted near the right end of tie rod 17 by means of bearing 23, are fitted as tenons in mortices 24 and 2 5, in plate 26 fastened to the bottom of seat 9 for truss bars 20 and 22, respectively. These truss bars are of such length that their free ends which are tenoned into said mortices 24 and may be placed in said matices only with some upward deflection of seat 9, the tenon ends of bars 20 and 22 thereby remaining removably in place, irrespective of whether a weight is in place on the upper surface of the seat.

The improvement in the above-described device to which this invention is particularly directed is the provision in the mechanical structure of means for folding the device into a compact unit occupying substantially less space in volume or area than either the table or bench arrangement of the device. As hereinbefore indicated, upright 7, fore leg 6 and tie rod 17 are rotatably mounted on end member 1 by means of bearings; seat-supporting truss bars 20 and 22 are also correspondingly mounted on tie rod 17 through bearings which permit rotation of truss bars 20 and 22 into their positions as supports for seat 9, hereinbefore described. By rotation of these portions of the device in the proper sequence, coupled with the rotation of the table top 9 to its position as a bench back, the device may be collapsed to its compact arrangement, all in accordance with the following sequence of mechanical movements. To aid in the description of these successive stages, reference will be had to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 5, illustrating 3 states in the organized collapse of the bench. Figure 1 illustrates an end view of the device as a table with truss bars 20 and 22 tenoned in mortices 24 and 25, in position to support bench seat 4 r a-navev against any tendency to sag, particu1arly when one or 7 more persons are seated thereon. The first step in collapsing the device involves the removal of the tenoned, free ends of truss bars 20 and 22 from their mortices 24 and 25 by rotation of the truss bars downwardly into a position contiguous with the tie rod 17, shown in Figure 5. In order to release these tenoned ends from said mortices 24 and 25, seat 4 may be deflected slightly upward in the center thereof to reduce the tension from the tenons in said mortices. The lower end of fore leg 6 is thereafter rotated in a clockwise movement around hearing 5 until its longitudinal centerline is substantially parallel to the longitudinal center line of end member 1. As the fore leg is thus rotated, the end surface of the fore leg which slidably engages the forward edge of upright 7, simultaneously causes the upper end of upright 7 to rotate in a clockwise fashion about bearing 8, until its longitudinal centerline is also substantially parallel with the longitudinal centerline of end member 1, bearings 5 and 8 being placed in such positions relative to the slidably engaged surfaces of the fore leg and upright that rotation of one causes rotation of theother throughout the entire arc of rotation. From the standpoint of the user, the bench is usually collapsed by leaning over the top of the bench from the rear and with the rear leg fixed in position, lifting the front edge of the seat toward the user until the front legs and uprights are substantially in alignment with the centerline of the end member. As the fore leg rotates into its collapsed position in which its centerline is substantially parallel with the centerline of the end member, tie rod 17 moves with the fore leg into notched recess 27 in end member 1 to thereby permit suflicient clock-wise rotation of the fore leg to form a collapsed unit of maximum compactness.

After the fore leg and upright have taken their aforementioned positions of maximum compactness, table top 9 may be set free from its stationary former horizontal position by removing hook 15 from its locked position in screw-eye 16 and the top thereafter rotated clockwise, moving the same forward and tipping its rear edge upward as the assemblage is rotatated with link 10 on hearing 12, the top thereby also assuming a position in which its surface is substantially parallel to the longitudinal center line of end member 1, over and in front of fore leg 6 folded compactly into its collapsed position. In order to fix the position of table top 9 in its newly collapsed position, as illustrated in end view in Figure 3 and in front view in Figure 4 and to prevent dislodgment of the table top from this position, table top 9 may be locked in such position by inserting hook 15 or other catch means into screw-eye 36 located on the under side of the table top 9.

In order to maintain the top end of fore leg 6 in slidable engagement with the leading or forward edge of upright 7, these respective edges may be tongue-andgrooved, for example, by placing a tongue 28 on the forward edge of the upright and a groove 29 on the top edge of fore leg 6, as illustrated in Figure 6, the latter arrangement providing more positive tracking of the respective, slidably engaged portions. Furthermore, the provision for such tongue-and-groove design adds structural rigidity'to the device by providing a vertical locking trough and key, maintaining the structure in vertical alignment.

The present device is peculiarly adapted for outdoor use and fabrication of its main structural parts from wood. As such, it is imperative that the contiguous surfaces of the pivotal portions of the device be free to rotate under weathering conditions. As one embodiment of this invention, a bearing design is provided herein which will maintain its freedom to rotate and also maintain the freedom of two generally somewhat rough wooden surfaces to move in relation to one another, irrespective of the roughness of their surfaces, as for example, during the clockwise rotation of a wooden fore leg over a wooden end member. The bearing thus provided is illustrated in cross-section in Figure 7 along gsgmve section line 7-7 of Figure 5 and in exploded perspective in Figure 8, which illustrates the component parts of said bearing in the order of their assembly. Thus, the purpose of the particular construction is to permit free rotation of truss bar 22 relative to tie rod 17 without the occurrence of binding between the contiguous surfaces of said bar and rod, while simultaneously providing a bearing which will not permit the parts to wobble or lose their parallel relationship to one another. Although said bearing is illustrated with reference to Figure 7, representing a sectional view of bearing 23 other modifications of the basic design of the hearing are present in tithr'bedririgs'present inthe device, as hereinafter dmcribed, and the same type of bearing is utilized elsewhere in the device. The hearing, as illustrated, consists of a ring or cylinder 30 of substantial length, fabricated from metal or other structurally rigid material and set perpendicularly and approximately an equidistant depth into circular, facing grooves thereby joined which are cut, perpendicularly to the planar surfaces into the body of the parts to be rotatably joined, as for example, into truss bar 22 and into tie rod 17, the grooves being cut to a depth and of sufficient width to accommodate ring 30, when the latter is imbedded therein. A hole is bored through the geometric center of such circular grooves, having a center line in common with and parallel to the walls of said grooves of sufficient diameter to accommodate a suitable rotatable connecting means, such as a rivet 31 or bolt, inserted in said hole. A washer 32 is desirably placed under the head of the rivet or bolt and another washer 33 placed under the peened end of the rivet 34 or under the nut of a bolt, if the latter is utilized in the construction of the bearing. A spacer washer 35 of sufficient thickness to maintain the contiguous surfaces of the truss bar 22 and tie rod 17 apart without coming in contact with each other is placed inside of ring 30 between the parallel surfaces of the parts to be joined. It is to be understood that any suitable form of connecting means may be employed in place of rivet 31, such as a bolt, previously mentioned, and, as in bearing 18, a screw driven into the end of tie rod 17, joining the end of tie rod 17 with the side of the end member 1, the screw being driven through the end member into the end of the tie rod. The ring in this modification of the bearing is imbedded at least partially in both the end of the tie rod and in the side of the end member. Rivets or bolts may be utilized in the similar construction of bearings 5 and 8. Although particularly adapted for use in the present device, it is to be understood that such bearings may be utilized to join any two contiguous bodies having surfaces rotatable with respect to each other. The greatest strength is provided in the resultant bearings when the ring 30 is set to a depth equidistant in each piece to be joined and to a depth of at least %-inch, depending on the thickness of the contiguous pieces. Washer 35 placed between said contiguous surfaces may be fabricated from a material which results in friction or a drag in the movement of the contiguous surfaces, such as rubber or leather, thus preventing the seat from suddenly falling when hook 15 is disengaged from screw-eye 36 in preparing the device for use. Ring 30 is desirably fabricated from a metal which does not rust, such as aluminum, which also becomes smooth during use in the bearing and is thus selflubricating.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device consisting of a bench convertible into a table, comprising a pair of spaced end members each having a rearwardly extending portion serving as a rear leg support and an attached forwardly projecting leg, a seat attached to and connecting said end members, an upright attached to each of said end members and terminating in a horizontal top edge, a back resting on the forward edges of said uprights and rotatable into a horizontal position resting on the top edges of said up rights, and a linkage bar rotatably connecting a bearing on the rear side of said back with a bearing in said upright below said horizontal top edge, an improvement in said device which enables the end members, including the rear leg portions of said end members, the forward legs, the uprights and back to be folded into a substantially fiat assemblage of components in essentially planar relationship with each other, further characterized in that said forward leg is pivotably attached to said end memher at a point beneath said seat and in a relatively forward position on said end member, said upright is pivotably attached at its lower end to said end member at a point beneath said seat and to the rear of said forward leg, said forward leg having an upwardly projecting extension beyond the said point of pivotal connection with said end member which rests on the forward edge of said upright when the device is in its bench-table form and which pivots away from said upright when the device is folded.

2. In a device comprising a pair of spaced end members each having a rearwardly extending portion serving as a rear leg support and an attached forwardly projecting leg, a seat attached to and connecting said end members, an upright attached to each of said end members and having a flat, elongated member hingedly mounted on said uprights, movable to a piston resting on the forward edges of said uprights and to a horizontal position resting on the top edges of said uprights, an improvement of said device which enables the end members, including said rear leg portions, the forward legs, the uprights, and said fiat, elongated member to be folded into a substantially flat assemblage of components in essentially planar relationship with each other, further characterized in that said forward leg is pivotably attached to said end member at a point beneath said seat and in a relatively forward position on said end member, said upright is pivotably attached at its lower end to said end member at a point beneath said and to the rear of said forward leg, said forward leg having an upwardly projecting extension beyond said point of pivotal connection with said end member which rests on the forward edge of said upright when the device is in useable form and which pivots away from said upright when the device is folded.

3. The device of claim 2. further characterized in that the extension of said forward leg above the point of pivotal connection with said end member and the forward edge of said upright are tongued and grooved, with the tongue and one and the groove in the other in slidable engagement with each other.

4. The bench of claim 1 further characterized in that said upright and said front leg are rotatably mounted on said end members by means of bearings comprising in combination: A circular cylinder of structurally rigid material which joins and is rotatably imbedded in a pair of facing, circular grooves in said upright and in said end member, perpendicular to the contiguous surfaces of said upright and said end member, a connecting means rotatably centered in said circular grooves, and a spacer washer within the cylinder between said contiguous surfaces thereby joined.

5. The bench of claim 1 further characterized in that a tie rod connects said end members, said tie rod having mounted thereon near said end members a pair of truss bars extending from the tie rod to approximately the center of said seat.

6. The bench of claim 5 further characterized in that said tie rod is rotatably mounted between said end members.

7. The bench of claim 6 further characterized in that said tie rod is rotatably mounted between said end members by means of a bearing rotatably connecting the ends of said tie rod to the inside of each of said end members, said bearing comprising in combination: circular grooves in the end of said tie rod and in the side of said end membet, a cylindrical ring of structurally rigid material imbedded in said grooves a spacing washer in said ring between the end of said tie rod and the side of said end member, and means connecting said end member with 5 said tie rod.

8. The bench of claim 5 further characterized in that said truss bars are rotatably mounted on said tie rod.

9. The bench of claim 5 further characterized in that the free ends of said truss bars are tenoned into mortices 10 on the underside of said seat.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hanssmann May 12, 1885 Nielsen Sept. 6, 1904 Steele Nov. 28, 1911 Greenstreet May 13, 1930 Greenstreet Feb. 17, 1931 Levy Feb. 20, 1934 Hollaway Aug. 28, 1934 Barnes May 18, 1948 Koenig July 24, 1951 Williams et a1 Feb. 22, 1955 

